A Fallen Feather
by Alphabetical Writer
Summary: Linda Downey is a sophomore in college who is experiencing some difficulties in her British Literature class. She asks her professor, Leander Hastings, for help. This is a Leander and Linda story, set in a college AU (Alternate Universe). Rating will more than likely go up.
1. A Feather Is Found

**This is a college AU of the story which revolves around the relationship between Linda Downy and Leander Hastings. Warning here, this involves a teacher student relationship, so if you don't like them, don't read (but it's college though, so there's no underage sex thing, and Hastings isn't all that old)**

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><p>Linda Downey let out a sigh of frustration as she looked over her report card. She was a sophomore in college, and her lowest grade at the moment was in British Literature, which was a C. Why had she even taken that class? <em>Because you're interested in Britain, <em>she reminded herself. Groaning, she fell back onto her bed. She was lucky enough to snag a one person dorm room, which kept her from the more unfortunate college experiences. She pulled the report card back to her field of vision and looked at the name of the professor for her class. L. Hastings was printed next to the grade. Mr. Hastings was a tall, cold man who constantly had a thin frown pressed on his face. Some of the girls in her class thought he was handsome, but Linda herself had never looked him over beyond his hair color and height. She had barely registered his voice really, as she simply listened for the information and not the sound.

Linda sat up and pulled her laptop from the other end of the bed to her lap. Going into her email, she decided to email Mr. Hastings. Hopefully he'd accept it, especially in person. Her friends claimed that her voice was liquid gold, so soothing to hear that it could make them commit murder if she asked. She thought it was ridiculous. However, in an argument, she tended to come out on top. Whether it be from her voice or the points she made, she didn't know.

**To: **Mr. Hastings  
><strong>Subject:<strong> Discuss Grades

Mr. Hastings,  
>I would like to meet with you in order to discuss my grades. Any time will do, thank you.<p>

Linda Downey

She hit the send button and laid back down. It could be a while before she got another response, as there were still a few more classes scheduled for the day. She glanced at the clock, which read 4:50 PM. She had a class at 5:15, and she wasn't even wearing her pants! Linda pushed out of bed, put on a pair of jeans, grabbed her backpack with her laptop inside, and left her dorm. She could fast-walk to her next class. As she was walking, she received a text from Thomas Swift, her older sister's boyfriend, about him and Becka visiting her college town soon and hoping to spend time with her. She typed a quick "okay" in response and hit send. Her building came into view, to which she jogged to.

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><p>An hour and a half later, Linda walked out of the class with her friend, Genevieve, at her side. She checked her phone as Gennie (as she liked to be called) went on and on about a girl in her french class.<p>

"Lin? Are you even listening to me?" Gennie asked, visibly distraught, as she watched her friend pull her phone out.

"Yeah, Jess called you a slut in French. But you know more French than her, just go off," Linda said and scrolled through the junk mail she received within her last class. Her finger stopped when there was an email from Leander Hastings. _Leander? _she thought to herself. She hadn't ever known his first name before.

**To:** Linda Downey  
><strong>Subject:<strong> Re: Discuss Grade

Ms. Downey,  
>There isn't much to be discussed, though if you insist you can stop by my classroom anytime before seven.<p>

Leander Hastings

She checked the time on her phone. It was already 6:47, but luckily his class was in the building right next door. She jogged over to the building and opened the door, walking down the hall in search of his room. When she arrived, she peeked her head through the door to see if he was still there. The room looked strange being as empty as it was. She only ever saw it full of students and noise, but now it was empty and silent. She searched the room for Mr. Hastings, but didn't find him. Hesitantly, she stepped inside to get a better look around. There was a messenger bag sitting on top of his desk with papers stacked neatly next to it. The computer was still on, also. She walked further into the classroom and stood next to the desk, staring at the wallpaper for the computer. It was a picture of a simple house that looked to be in the countryside. She was so caught up in the photo that she hadn't noticed anyone enter the room.

"Ms. Downey, correct?" His voice made her jump and spin around. He didn't stop to greet her though, as he had continued moving around her and to his desk.

"Linda is fine. I wanted to talk about-"

"The grade you're getting in my class, yes. As you can see," he said as he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, "There isn't much to talk about." He pushed the power button on his computer, making the picture of the home disappear.

"That's the thing, I was hoping we could talk about how I can improve my grade for the next semester," she said and watched him move around her with skill. He had crossed the room to retrieve more papers before replying.

"Your essays aren't written as they should be, and your test grades are average. Learn to write, and study more," he muttered bluntly and made his way back to his desk. The last part poked at Linda's anger, though she was going to keep her composure.

"How do you want it then?" she asked. She didn't realize that the way she phrased it gave it another meaning until Mr. Hastings stopped moving and turned to look at her. That was the first time she had actually seen him in all his entirety. His deep, intense eyes stared directly into her gold-flaked ones. She gasped silently as they stared at each other, neither breaking their gaze. The little space between them felt like a chasm, and in the middle a wall was standing tall. A wall that was standing tall, but could be pushed down with a feather landing upon it. Her lips slighted partially, and she felt as though she were frozen in time.

It wasn't until a group of girls loudly walked by the classroom did Mr. Hastings tear his gaze away. He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to his work. Linda blinked as her cheeks turned red and she turned away also. She shifted her backpack on her shoulder and wondered whether she should leave or not.

"If you want, I'll give you copies of essays I've kept and use as examples," he said after a minute of silence. She turned back around, but kept her eyes down.

"Thank you, Mr. Hastings," she said and turned to leave. She could hear his footsteps not too far behind hers as she walked to the exit of the building. Right before she reached the door, he jogged in front of her and opened it. He held it open for her to walk through, and closed it once she did so. "Thanks," she said nervously and gave him a small smile, "Bye then."

"Goodbye, Linda," he responded kindly. The way he said her name made her heart race and her cheeks heat up, so she quickly turned away and sped-walk to back to her dorm. When she glanced behind her shoulder, she saw him walking off in the other direction, taking long strides. She was too busy watching him that she hadn't noticed Gennie walk up until she bumped into.

"Salope! Lin, what are you doing?" Gennie shouted as her friend walked right into her. "Why is your face all red?"

"Nothing, it's nothing," she waved off the concern and used every bit of her control to not turn and look back again. "What did you just call me?"

"T'inquiète pas. Don't worry," she said. Gennie then turned around and hooked her arm into Linda's, "There's a party tonight, an end of the semester party!" she said excitedly. Linda frowned, as she had forgotten all about that. D, which was short for D'Orsay, throws a party every semester when he gets the chance. He invites nearly everyone on campus, too. Linda was always on the list, as she was just below popular. Her looks mixed with her personality seemed to make her unknowingly popular among her peers.

"I don't really want to got to that," Linda confessed and slid her arm out of Gennie's. Every time she went to a party, she was mercilessly hit on by the underclassmen that attended also. She wasn't particularly feeling it that night. She just wanted to go back to her dorm room and rest. Her body needed it, after what happened.

"You don't want to go? It's the end of the semester! We're only going to be in college once, Lin!" Gennie said enthusiastically. Linda suddenly thought of the perfect excuse.

"My sister is visiting with her boyfriend, and I don't plan to meet them with a hangover," she said and shook her head. Gennie looked dejected, but she couldn't fight that. She shrugged and said that she'd see Linda later, before leaving and more than likely heading for the party. The sun was already gone from the sky, but the stars hadn't come out yet.

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><p>Laid out on her dorm bed, (without her pants on, of course) Linda was browsing the internet out of boredom. Her dorm was mostly empty from the party and the semester ending, save the people such as her. She couldn't go home, as the home situation for her was complicated. She stayed at school all year, but would sometimes visit Becka for a few weeks during the summer. She'd sometimes catch a movie with a friend, or even a date in some cases. But her dates never lasted much further than a simple kiss. Though, there was one guy she had gone on three dates with before they stopped talking. It ended poorly, over an argument.<p>

She sighed as she saw another unfunny picture and pushed her laptop away. Laying back on her bed, she let out a dissatisfied groan. She hadn't eaten dinner yet, and it was nearly nine. Frowning, she whipped out her cell phone and dialed in the number for a pizza place. She ordered a small, pepperoni pizza for herself. She was definitely going to have extras, though that meant she had dinner for the next few nights until Becka and Thomas arrived. She put a pair of loose sweat pants on and threw a sweatshirt on over her tank top (she had taken her bra off long ago) to at least look decent for when the pizza man arrived. She left her dorm room and sat in the lobby of the dorm, waiting for the pizza man to arrive. Some late party-goers said hi to her and left. Some were returning, obviously drunk and looking to get laid. Linda ignored them after responding to their greeting. The loneliness made her think about Mr. Hastings, and how she felt earlier. The feeling his gaze gave her was...spontaneous. She bit her bottom lip as she remembered and shifted on the couch she was sitting on. She looked hopefully out of the door window to see if the pizza man had arrived yet. If he didn't hurry, she was going to lose herself in thought about Mr. Hastings: his eyes, his handsome face, even his frown was painted into her memory.

She watched as a man carrying a box walked up to the door and walked in. When he saw her, he seemed taken aback slightly, but held the pizza out nonetheless. Linda was quick to pay and return to her dorm and begin eating the pizza. She turned her laptop back on in hopes of watching some Netflix, but to her surprise she had an email notification. She opened it nervously.

**To: **Linda Downey  
><strong>Subject: <strong>Example Essays

Linda,  
>Attached to this email are the essays I mentioned earlier. If you have any other questions, do ask. Best of luck.<br>Essay 1  
>Essay 2<br>Essay 3

Leander Hastings

Her heart skipped a beat as she read her first name. Even typed by him, it had an effect. The next semester was definitely going to be difficult.

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><p><strong>Dunna dunna. I thought of this today in class, and I couldn't let the idea go. Sorry if Linda seems a tad OOC, I don't really have an idea as to what she was like when she was in her early 20's, and I doubt she was exactly like she is now.<strong>

**On a side note, Sorcerer Heir comes out soon! More Leander and Linda moments, I'm hoping~**

**Also, I'm slowly incorporating the other characters here. D is D'Orsay (because he's a _dick_), Jessamaine is Jess, Gennie is Genevieve (don't know who that is? Read the rest of the books!), and Thomas is Jack's father. I didn't make them married or engaged because I feel like that's too soon. All in good time, all in good time.**


	2. A Feather Is Dropped

**Chapter 2? In only ONE day? I must be crazy. **

**Not crazy, just have lots of free time...lots...**

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><p>The next few days seemed to pass by fairly easily. Linda avoided Gennie for the first day, until Gennie left to go home. That left Linda alone on the campus with the others who had no where to go. Currently, she was sitting on a couch in her dorm, watching Netflix on her laptop, which was resting on her lap. She was also eating an orange she had grabbed from the lobby. Did I mention her pants were off?<p>

Her phone vibrated, signaling a text message. She looked at it, and it was a message from Becka. She slid it open and read it fully.

**Becka: **_We'll be in tonight_

**Linda:** _Okay. You remember how to get to my dorm, right?_

**Becka:** _Yeah, don't worry_

Linda locked her phone and threw it back on her bed. She looked around her room, as it was rather dirty. Her clothes were dumped in a corner, and her shoes were everywhere. She looked at her laptop, then her room, and back to her laptop again. She let out a loud sigh and decided to clean up. Her pizza was in the mini fridge she had (which was much more expensive than needed) for future meals. All she had to do was run down to the lobby and use the microwave there. Sure, some people might ask for a slice, but all she had to do was shake her head no and they'd move on. Linda went around her room and straightened everything up. She decided to take the trash out, so she put on her favorite pajama bottoms, which were very fuzzy (it was winter), and headed downstairs. It was noon, and the air was cold. She had forgotten her shoes and carefully made her way to the trash. Once in the trashcan, she stepped outside and looked around for any signs of life. The student union building was a short walk away from the dorm, and it was usually bustling with life. However, as it was a break, everyone was gone. Well, most everyone. She wondered if she should go for a walk, but she didn't feel like going back upstairs only to come back down. Instead, she simply looked around a little more before turning and heading back into her dorm. Once inside, she turned her Netflix back on and continued watching her show.

That was when she remembered that she was sent essays. She really, _really, _wanted to watch Netflix. Though watching movies and TV shows wasn't going to raise her British Literature grade. She sighed and exited out of the tab and opened her email. She went to the email and opened it, clicking on the first link. The first one was extremely long, and written by a Nicodemus Snowbeard. She read the first paragraph and was already surprised by how much detail it went into. It was thousands of years better than anything she had ever written. The essay, however, was fifteen pages long. She decided that she would only read the first page before going to the next essay. She thought that, but she couldn't even finish the second paragraph before closing the thing down out of sheer fright that she was never going to be able to write in such a way. She opened the second essay next.

This essay was seven pages long, written by a Martin Hall. It was wasn't as amazing as the one written by Nicodemus, but it was still better than hers. His talked about old books that Linda had never even heard of before. She was impressed to say the least, and closed out of the paper after the fourth paragraph. She wasn't able to make it to the second page on any of them. She opened the third one, but all that came up was text that said "And now it's your turn to try. Be creative, Linda". It took her a moment, but she realized who it was that typed the message and looked down. Her cheeks started to burn up, and she had to ask herself what was wrong. _Why _was she so hung up on every little thing he did? He was a professor, it would be _illegal _to do anything. But of course, that didn't stop her from imagining.

It was simply a crush. It's normal for people to have crushes! Perhaps her mind hadn't registered how dangerous such a crush is though, and once it had she would stop acting so giddy whenever she thought about him. She was a student, _his _student, and she liked a teacher. Linda popped her hands over her mouth as she thought of it. _No no no, I can't like him, I can't! _She cried in her mind. _It's illegal and wrong. There's no way it's even reciprocated anyways! This is just a phase, _she thought frantically. She shook her head and decided that she actually did need that walk. She stood and put on a pair of sneakers before walking out of her dorm. She probably looked like a homeless kid, with her loose sweatshirt and over-sized sweatpants. She stepped onto the sidewalk and began her walk towards the union building. Her path changed though as she saw the buildings for the rest of her classes. Instead of continuing straight towards the original destination, she walked to the English and Literature building. She had two classes here, the rest were spread around the campus. She climbed the stairs to the entrance and walked in.

Voices could be heard from the rooms, more than likely the professors bitching about the meeting they had that day. Linda knew that there was a celebration for another semester well done, but the employees didn't have all that much fun. As she walked passed one door, she heard strange noises. It made her stop and listen more. It sounded like...moaning? Linda jumped away from the door, disgusted. _This _is what the professors did in their free time? She was _definitely _going to be careful when choosing her seats from now on. She shivered and continued walking to her British Literature class, though she hadn't realized she was until she actually arrived there. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized where she was. _What the hell? Why did I go here?! _she shouted to herself internally. She was going to turn back around when she caught sound of a conversation from the inside.

"You can't be doing this _again_. You'll be caught and thrown in jail, you _do _realize, right? And this time no one will be able to save you, like with Susannah," a voice she couldn't recognize said.

"This does not involve her!" she jumped at the sound of Mr. Hastings yelling. "You have no idea what you're talking about, and I do not care to explain it to you for the hundredth time. Now get out of my classroom before I have you removed."

"Lee, I'm only trying to help you here. You're getting yourself into more trouble, and I doubt it'll turn out any better than last time," Linda managed to recognize that the voice was feminine. The conversation seemed over though, as Linda could suddenly hear footsteps approaching. Freaking out, she ran to the door that led you to the stairs in order to hide. She pressed her face against the glass to see who Mr. Hastings had been talking to, the curiosity being too much for her to handle. Within seconds, a tall girl with dark hair similar to Mr. Hastings came out in a ruffled blouse and black pants. She looked both ways before walking the way that Linda had come in. Linda waited a few minutes before slowly opening the door and stepping back out into the hallway.

Maybe she shouldn't have come here, she realized. She began walking to the entrance in order to leave, though as she was walking past the classroom door she noticed a tall figure was leaving also. They ended up bumping into each other, though neither fell. The only thing that did fall was a small stack of papers that the figure had been carrying.

"Linda?" he muttered, surprised. His gaze caught hers and they were stuck again, frozen into their own world. Just a simple stare, and Linda was completely undone. She gulped when he said her name in a different tone, one that didn't sound unhappy to see her. It sounded more like shock, or at least she thought so. Her hand was reached out slightly as though she were trying to catch the papers, but they all slid through her hand regardless. Linda Downey was a virgin, a proud one at that, but the feeling she got just from _looking _at Mr. Hastings was what she imagined sex to feel like. She wanted him, _dear __lord_, she wanted him bad. Mr. Hastings blinked, breaking their link suddenly. Linda suddenly felt empty inside, though she simply recomposed herself. "Is there something you had a question about?" he asked and looked down at his papers, which were sprawled all over the floor.

_Dammit...I don't even know why I'm here! _she was shouting in her mind. "Uhm, no, I just wanted to, uh, thank you for sending me those essays," she said quickly. She bent down to pick up the papers quickly, as did he. She scooped up as many as she could before he began picking up his pile.

"Your welcome, then. Have you read through them?" he asked, still keeping his eyes on the papers that were now in his hands. Something in his voice sounded strange, though she couldn't place what it was.

"Well, they're a bit too long for me to read through them all, and I haven't read most of the books mentioned," she responded. It was starting to become simpler to talk, at least.

"Too long?" he said with humor in his voice. Linda dared to look up and saw a simple smile on his face as he looked at her. Now, _that_ was too much. Her face suddenly became red, and she looked down hoping he wouldn't see it. She had never blushed so much in her entire life than she had in the past week. She pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and stood up. Mr. Hastings stood up also and held his hand out for the stack in her hand, which she happily passed over._  
><em>

"I'll see you next semester, then," she mumbled and turned to leave. Again, he was walking right behind her. Once she could hear the _room _again, she wondered how he would react to it. She glanced over her shoulder to see that he had stopped and was looking towards the door, seeming to be in deep thought. Before she could react, he put the papers he was carrying down and put an arm around her shoulder, dragging her to his side as he swung open the door, which revealed her English teacher and a girl she couldn't recognize in the middle of _it_.

"And this is the- Oh, Mr. Wylie, certainly didn't see you there. And hello, Ms. Longbranch. I see you're learning a bit more than English this break," Mr. Hastings greeted simply. Linda's eyes widened when she realized that the girl was in fact Jessamine, the Senior that was constantly causing problems for Gennie.

"Hastings? What the hell are you doing here?!" Mr. Wylie yelled, quickly pulling his pants up from around his ankles. He completely ignored the naked student that was sitting on the desk. Mr. Hastings sent an innocent smile to Mr. Wylie before turning towards Linda and patting her shoulder.

"I was showing this student here around. Who would have guessed that you've been breaking the rule of no sleeping with the students. I won't tell, of course my silence comes with a price," he added finally. His frown returned when Mr. Wylie's gaze became stuck on Linda.

"And who is that student there?" Mr. Wylie asked, causing a 'ugh' to leave Jess's mouth. Jess was obviously about to be dumped for Linda.

"That's unimportant," Hastings muttered and waved for Wylie's attention to return to him, "I think we can work out the debt you now owe me for me to keep this secret. Well then, Wylie, I'll be finishing the tour here." Mr. Hastings pulled Linda out of the room with him. With his arm still around her shoulders, he remained still. Linda didn't push him away, as she was probably enjoying the contact too much.

She shut her eyes and leaned her head against his side, which caused his breathing to hitch in his throat. Slowly, Linda felt his hand skim down her side and rest comfortable on her hip, and Mr. Hastings let out a deep breath.

A feather had been dropped above the wall that separated them.

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><p><strong>I wonder if I used Wylie in the first chapter? Woah! I forgot the chapter titles! Let me fix that!<strong>

**Mkay I'm back. I wonder if Hastings was OOC with the whole bust-in...I was trying to get across his "will twist situations around so he gets something from it" side.**

**Ah well, hope you enjoyed~**


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